


His Girls

by Fox (Spacefoxen)



Category: Jurassic Park (Movies), Jurassic World (2015)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Shapeshifters, Gen, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Owen and Barry are both raptor dads, Raptor Squad, Raptor Squad Shenanigans, Shapeshifting, What Was I Thinking, barry is the uncle alpha, be patient with me, not everyone is a shifter tho, owen is a shifter, owen is papa alpha, so is barry, this is gonna be a long one guys
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-07-13
Updated: 2015-07-13
Packaged: 2018-04-09 02:57:24
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,849
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4331157
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Spacefoxen/pseuds/Fox
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Just realized I totally forgot a summary!</p>
<p>Owen Grady is a Shifter without a set shift form. It doesn't bother him too much, though it would make his life simpler.</p>
<p>After being honorably discharged from the military, Owen takes a job with Jurassic World. He has no idea what he's in for, however, and with the addition of new friends, a pack of loyal velociraptors, dangerous creatures, and a job doing what he loves best, Owen's life makes a turn for the better.</p>
            </blockquote>





	His Girls

**Author's Note:**

  * Inspired by [Connect the Dots](https://archiveofourown.org/works/4163136) by [dinosaurs_wowenough (loki_godofmischiefandlies)](https://archiveofourown.org/users/loki_godofmischiefandlies/pseuds/dinosaurs_wowenough). 



> HOLY SHIT GUYS.
> 
> The overwhelming response I got from my very short baby raptor squad drabble that I posted earlier today is just...amazing. I have no words. Except that the love this fandom has already showed me pushed me to finish this first chapter of what is looking like a 7-10 chapter fic. At least, that's what I have plotted out so far. This chapter has taken me about three weeks to get done, and without your responses on that other piece, I probably would have taken another week or two to get it finished.
> 
> I have much thanks to give to Sarabi and Loki, for their wonderful support and help with this, thus far. Their encouragement, plot ideas, headcanons, and nagging have been a HUGE help in getting this where it is now. I know it's only the first chapter, but still. I'm a horrible procrastinator and I'm honestly shocked I actually got this much done.
> 
> Beta'd part way, so any mistakes are my own. Let me know if I need to make any corrections.
> 
> EDIT: After much editing and thought, I now present you with a new chapter one. There are no longer familiars, just shifters. I felt that considering the length this was going to be and the fact that I had never tackled such a difficult piece before, I needed to simplify things a touch.

Owen Grady shifted the strap of his duffle bag as he got off his bike and gazed at his new home. It wasn’t much to anyone else’s standards, but he felt it was perfect.

When he first arrived on the island, he was directed to a large, extravagant condo complex where all of the trainers and more permanent staff would be living. He immediately balked at the idea of living in such a fancy place, let alone next to so many people he didn’t know. After speaking with HR, they reluctantly told him about a small, makeshift house built close to the edge of the restricted zone, something one of the park’s building crew had put together back when the park was still under construction.

Owen’s new home was indeed a makeshift piece of work. The bungalow was a hodge-podge of different components. There was a small single story building with a porch large enough for a single chair. Attached to that was a metal camping trailer, one of the old ones with the rounded sides and ends, and there was a small shed off to the side that would be perfect for storing his bike.

He wouldn’t be receiving his assignment for a few days at the least, so Owen wasn’t feeling overly pressured to move his stuff in right away. Dropping his bag onto his new porch, he opened the front door and took a look around. The previous tenant had left nearly everything behind: the front room had a small table set up with two chairs, and there was a couch along one wall; there was a half wall separating the front space from the kitchen, which contained an old refrigerator, a stove and oven, and not much else. To the right of the kitchen was the utility closet, which thankfully contained an old washer and dryer along with the heating and air conditioner, and a water heater; next to that was a small but functional bathroom.

Moving further into the small house, Owen made his way over to the trailer. The door was more or less two large curtains that would certainly need to be washed as soon as possible. The backend of the trailer had been cut off, and the rest of it attached and sealed to the small house. Pushing the curtains aside, Owen revealed a queen bed at the far end, under the back window, and a small desk along one of the long sides. A three drawer dresser sat next to it.

While it wasn’t much, Owen was pleased with his new home. It was small, homely, and isolated. Best of all, the rent was included in his contract with the park, so he’d have barely any expenses.

Owen stripped the bed of its sheets, pulled the curtains from the curtain rod, and shoved the materials into the washer for a thorough washing. He brought his duffle bag into the house and dumped it onto the couch. Opening it up, he began pulling out his stuff.

He didn’t have much; most of the bag was filled with clothes. Two picture frames were carefully pulled out and set aside. He gazed at the pictures for a second. One was of his parents and the second one was of his younger brother and sister rough-housing. Owen smiled briefly and then went back to pulling things out of his bag.

Clothes were stacked on the couch to be taken to his room later; a quilt his mother had made him years ago was added to the stack of clothes. Books on animal behavior and physiology were stacked on the floor; he’d have to build a bookcase at some point. He pulled out a canvas bag from the end of his duffle and took it into the kitchen where he then put away his two pots, one skillet pan, two bowls and plates, and assorted silverware.

_I’ll have to make a trip to the convenience store later_ , he thought to himself, making a mental list of all the food and hygiene items he’d need to pick up before he turned in for the night.

Going back to his motorcycle, Owen pulled a backpack out of one of the two saddlebags.

The sound of a car door slamming caused him to drop the bag in alarm. His perspective changed and he found himself crouching under his bike on all fours.

_God dammit_ , he hissed, hackles rising.

He’d shifted. Into a cat, he supposed, eyes flicking down to take in his paws and the clothes now piled around him. This form wasn't unfamiliar to Owen, and was in fact one of the more common forms he shifted into.

Being a Shifter wasn’t an unknown condition, but it was certainly a rare one. Owen could count on one hand the number of confirmed Shifters he has met, and even fewer that he could actually say he’s seen Shift. For him, it wasn’t something he liked doing in front of others; not everyone saw the Shift as something good. Many saw Shifters as witches or not fully human; it was better to not Shift in front of anyone that it was to find out which of your friends

Unfortunately, after being honorably discharged from the Navy with a gun-shot that had torn through his left thigh and a rather severe case of PTSD, Owen had lost some of the control he had had over his Shifting abilities. Now, loud noises and surprises caused him to shift without warning. He was lucky he had trained himself since he was young to be able to semi-control what he shifted into.

Now, Owen watched wearily from under his bike as a woman in expensive looking clothes and heels walked up to his new home. With any luck, she hadn’t seen him before he shifted. Or worse, when he shifted. The woman walked up to the front door and knocked. When Owen obviously didn’t answer, she knocked a second time and stuck her hands on her hips, probably annoyed. She turned a little to survey this yard, lips pursed.

Owen crouched low to the ground. _Don’t look this way, don’t look this way_ , he chanted to himself, hoping the woman wouldn’t catch site of his pile of clothing. Luckily for him, the woman gave up on waiting for him to answer and strode back to her vehicle. Owen relaxed only when he could no longer hear the crunch of tires on the dirt road that lead up to his bungalow.

Gingerly, he stepped out of the pile of his clothes on the ground and moved away from his bike. He sat down and focused on what it felt like to be a human, searching for that place inside of him that helped him shift from one form to another. Finding it, he slid into his human form. He continued to sit for a moment on the dirt covered ground, arms wrapped loosely around his legs and head hanging low.

Shifting by accident was exhausting and something he really didn’t like doing. Now that he was getting back up on his feet and working again, he’d have to focus harder than ever before to not shift without warning.

He wasn’t looking forward to it.

Sighing, Own stood up and dusted himself off, gathering his clothes up from the ground and slipping into them again.

He was definitely going to have to get used to being around people again if he wanted to make a job at a theme park work.

~o0o~

Over the next few days, Owen managed to get settled into his new home with no further incidents. He had quite a bit of time on his hands until he was given his assignment. The inner walls of the main house were painted off-white; he had replaced the old table with one that he had built from scratch, in addition to making a bookcase and a rocking chair for his front porch. The roof was patched up and the locks on the shed were changed. He’d even had a chance to go to the employee living spaces and hit the convenience store to stock up on food and hygiene products.

After a week of adjusting to life on the island, he was finally contacted about his assignment. Owen was fast asleep, having decided to take a nap after wrestling with some motorcycle maintenance, when the call came in.

Jerking awake at the sound of his phone, Owen scrambled up to answer the call.

“’Llo?” he answered, not even trying to sound coherent.

“Hello? Is this Mr. Grady?”

Owen sat up on his couch fully awake now. _Shit_. Of course they’d call when he was totally unprepared.

“Uh, yeah, this is he.” He rubbed the back of his neck, hoping he didn’t sound like too much of an idiot.

The crisp, feminine voice replied, “Mr. Grady, this is Claire Dearing. Can you meet me in the R and D building, second floor, to receive your assignment?”

“Uh, of course. When do you want me there?”

“In the next thirty minutes if you could.” With that, Dearing hung up.

“Well, alright, then,” Owen grumbled to himself. “I guess that’s that.”

Owen got up and stretched, a thrill of excitement coursing through his body. He was receiving his assignment! He didn’t particularly care what animal he was given to work with; how could you be picky when you got to work with _dinosaurs_!?

He had some hopes for one of the smarter carnivorous species, though. After working with the intelligent dogs the Navy had had him working with for eight years, he really wasn’t sure he’d fully appreciate being assigned to an herbivore or two with the intelligence of a cow.

But, he wouldn’t complain, even if he was given a stegosaurus or something. After all, he’d still be one of a select number working with actual dinosaurs.

Owen grinned widely and scrambled up to get dressed.

~o0o~

When Owen got to the research facility, his hair was a mess and his carefully chosen clothes were sprinkled generously with dirt. Oh well. Such things couldn’t be helped when you cruise around on dirt roads riding a motorcycle. After parking his bike, he did the best he could to tidy up.

Owen whistled cheerfully as he made his way to the facility’s second floor; he wasn’t told where on the floor to go, however, so he opted to hang out in the lounge area in front of the elevator doors.

Rocking back and forth on his heels while he waited, Owen noted the presence of another man who also appeared to be waiting for someone. He was tall and well-built with dark skin. He seemed to notice Owen at the same time as Owen had noticed him; the man approached Owen with a warm smile on his face and his right hand outstretched.

“Ah, you must be Owen,” the man said in a rich, accented voice, grasping Owen’s hand. “I am Barry.”

“Pleasure to meet you,” Owen returned.

“You’re here for your assignment, correct?” At Owen’s nod, Barry continued, “I believe we are to be partners in the project.”

“Oh, well alright then! Any clue what we’ll be doing?” Owen hadn’t been told he was going to be working with anyone, but that was okay as Barry seemed like a decent guy.

“Not yet. At least, not exactly.”  Barry glanced at Owen critically, taking him in at once. “Excuse me for being so forward, but…Are you a Shifter as well?”

Owen schooled his face into a neutral expression. “Uhh.” _Great response, Grady_ , he thought. Of course Masrani Corp knew he was a shifter. They probably got his files from the Navy, and they sure as hell knew what he was. He returned Barry’s look. “I’m guessing that means you are?”

“Indeed. Has your shift settled yet?”

“Ah. Yes," Owen lied. He was uncomfortable with the fact he hadn't settled on a Shift, yet and he wasn’t sure what to tell this man."Yours?”

“Jaguar. It’s interesting that they’ve placed two shifters on this project…”

Before Owen could respond properly to that, the two men were interrupted by the sound of heels hitting the tile floors.

Turning, Owen took in the sight of a woman who must have been Clair Dearing. Blinking, Owen realized Clair Dearing was, in fact, the same woman who had startled him into a shift on his first day at his new home. Owen shifted uncomfortably.

Claire was dressed impeccably in a dark brown pencil skirt and light pink blouse. Her blazer was bone white and was a stark contrast to her bright red hair. She was quite stunning, Owen thought, in a sharp and intimidating kind of way.

Owen was shaken out of his semi-dazed state by a sharp jab to the side from Barry’s elbow. Disgruntled, Owen went to protest, but Barry was already making his way over to Claire.

Just like her phone call, introductions were made quickly and proficiently, and then the two men were led down the corridors past glass windows looking into various labs and equipment set ups. Owen peered curiously into the labs as they strode past, getting vague impressions of sterile lab spaces, glass tubes with various forms floating in them amongst bubbling liquids, computer screens and busy scientists.

Owen turned to Claire. “So, what exactly will Barry and I be working with? Obviously something important if you have two shifters assigned to it.”

Claire shot Owen a calculating look, as though she was surprised that he was able to come up with that connection. Owen felt mildly offended for a second, until she answered his question.

“You’re right. This is a very important project. We hope that you two will be able to test the intelligence of your charges. We don’t know exactly how far the intelligence stretches, and we’d like to know.”

Owen’s narrowed his eyes. “And what exactly are we being given?”

Claire’s smile was sharp, “Velociraptors.”

Barry stopped in the hallway, eyes wide. Owen stuttered for a second, before getting a word out, albeit shakily.

“Velo— _Velociwhaters_?”

Claire rolled her eyes, “Velociraptors. Very dangers, about six feet tall? Huge sickle claw?”

“Yeah, I know what raptors are, Ms. Dearing. I’m questioning why the hell you want us working with them?”

Claire narrowed her eyes, one eyebrow raised elegantly. “I’ve already told you. To test their intell—“

“I’d rather test your intelligence!!” Owen shouted, frustrated with this woman who seemed to think she knew everything. “You do realize how dangerous those things are, right? What they did twenty years ago at the original park?”

“Yes, Mr. Grady, I do get that. However, the project is already underway and you two are the best candidates for the position."

“Already…?” Owen noticed they had stopped walking in front of one of the labs, and that Claire’s hand was on the handle.

“We have a clutch of eggs ready for you. They’ll hatch in just under a month’s time.

_This is ridiculous_ , Owen thought as they stepped into the pristine lab. At the same time, an undercurrent of adrenalin and excitement ran through his body. One look at Barry told Owen that the other man was feeling a similar mix of emotions.

Claire gestured for one of the scientists to come over to them. "Dr. Wu, would you show these gentlemen to their new charges?"

The Asian scientist nodded. "Certainly." He turned to Owen and Barry, "If you'll follow me, please." As Dr. Wu lead the two men through the lab, Owen stared in awe of the various egg clutches nestled in their incubator nests. Some where tiny, like chicken eggs, and others were easily as large as those of an ostrich.

Barry was listening to what Dr. Wu was telling them, which was fortunate because Owen was completely entranced by the eggs and wasn't listening to a single word at the moment; he'd catch up with Barry later.

Owen knew what clutch was theirs before Dr. Wu had even indicated the nest. The eggs were perfect, each a light brown and speckled with darker brown flecks. When Owen approached the nest, he noticed they were about as long as his hand from the edge of his palm to the tip of his middle finger; they were as wide as his hand, too.

Owen kneeled in front of the nest.

"They're beautiful."

Barry kneeled down at his side, eyes wide as he took in the sight of the four large eggs. "That they are. _Absolument magnifique_.”

Slowly, carefully, Owen stretched his hand out and lightly ran his finger down the shell of the nearest egg. He could hear someone protesting behind him, but at that moment he didn't particularly care. He noted that the egg was pebbly in texture, not smooth like he had been expecting. It was slightly warm to the touch, too.

Owen grinned. In just under a month's time, these little eggs would hatch and their inhabitants would be under his and Barry's care. The fact that his charges were velociraptors was no longer such a terrifying prospect.

"Hey there, baby girls," Owen cooed. His eyes shifted to look at Barry and he smirked. "Your papas are here."

Barry snorted in amusement, but before he could say something in return, he was interrupted by the clicking of heels.

"What are you two doing?" Both men turned to look at Claire who had her hands on her hips and a look of irritation on her face.

Owen grinned up at her. "Getting acquainted with our new babies!"

Claire looked unimpressed. "They're eggs."

Owen rolled his eyes and turned back to his nest. "Yes, but inside each of those eggs is a baby. I'm simply getting them used to the sound of my voice so that they might recognize it when they hatch." Owen got a thoughtful look on his face. "Kinda how human mothers and fathers will talk to their unborn children."

Claire slid her hands from her hips. "Okay, fine. Just...stay out of the scientist's way." She turned to walk out of the lab, but turned back when she remembered something. "Be sure to look over the raptor facility being built a mile or so from your accommodations. The head of security wants a word with you two there." With that, Claire left the lab, her heels once again tapping the tiled floor rhythmically.

Owen didn’t bother watching as Claire left; instead, he stroked the eggs a few more times and then shuffled back up to his feet. He offered his hand to Barry to help the other man to his feet.

“I guess we should get going then?” Barry asked.

“Probably.” Owen turned to Dr. Wu and the other scientists. “It won’t be an issue if we stop by every so often, right?”

Dr. Wu’s face scrunched up in slight irritation, but he nodded. “As Ms. Dearing said, as long as you stay out of our way, you should be okay to stop by.”

Owen grinned. “Great! We’ll be seeing you later, then!”

With that, the newly appointed raptor keepers left the research facility to go find the new home being built for their charges.

~o0o~

Owen raised his eyebrow when he approached the raptor facility.

“I hope we’re not expecting to leave them here while they’re young..” Owen looked over at Barry as the other man got off his ATV, concern in his eyes.

Barry shrugged,  eyeing the tall walled enclosure and electrical fences with slight disgust.

Both men were fully aware of what velociraptors were capable of. They’d read the reports from the previous park, all the research, hell, Owen was good friends with Alan and Ellie! He was fully aware of how dangerous they were. Yet, the idea of raising four, young, impressionable raptors in such a sterile and unfriendly environment was not appealing in the least.

Before either trainer could express their thoughts on how they wanted to raise the raptors, they were approached by a large man with salt and pepper hair and an arrogant air about him.

The man smiled and offered his hand for Owen and Barry to shake, “Ah, you must be Mr. Pásztor and Sergeant Grady! I’m Vic Hoskins.”

Owen inwardly twitched, knowing he wasn’t going to get along with this man very well. “Captain, actually.”

Hoskins just smiled. “Dearing informed me you’d be here to look over the facility. What do you think?”

“It’s a bit…” Barry started.

“Impersonal. Sterile. Not a family friendly environment,” Owen finished. Barry nodded.

Hoskins laughed. “The raptors won’t be anywhere near the park guests, Grady. These animals are research only.”

Owen bristled. “I meant it’s not friendly for the raptors. Especially not as juveniles!”

Hoskins kept chuckling, rolling his eyes, “They're lizards. They’ll be fine.”

“Look, we won’t be keeping those girls here. Not until they are too big and dangerous to keep anywhere else,” Barry stated, looking tense.

Owen breathed deep, trying to keep a stress-shift from happening. This Hoskins guy was really getting on his nerves and they’d hardly been talking.

Hoskins’ eyes hardened. “Now, look here. You can’t just decide you’re keeping dangerous animals somewhere else. They’re not yours, anyway.”

“They are, too. We’ve been tasked with the care and raising them. Right now, that makes them ours. Raising them in this kind of isolating environment will make them mature into even more dangerous animals. They need to be properly socialized and we cannot do that in this facility!” Owen stopped himself from going on when he felt Barry’s hand on his elbow; he was getting too worked up and a shift was bound to happen if he didn’t calm down. He jerked his arm from Barry's light grip.

“If you don’t like it, take it up with Ms. Dearing.” Owen turned on his heel and walked back to his bike, Barry on his heels, Hoskins spluttering behind them.

“Do you think Ms. Dearing will support the decision to keep the raptors somewhere else until they mature?”

“Don’t know, don’t care. Hey, fancy building a stable and paddock off the side of my house so the girls have somewhere to stay when they are too big for the house but too small for that hell hole?”

Barry shot Owen a skeptical look as he slid onto the seat of his ATV.

“Look, I’m sure we can set up a guest room or something at my place, too! If you want. Do they have you up at the employee housing, or what?”

Barry sighed. “Yes, I’m at the employee complex. And thank for the offer, but I’m fine there. I will, however, help you set up someplace for the girls. Maybe if we get it done well enough, we can convince Ms. Dearing to keep the girls out for a while.”

Owen beamed. “Sounds great, man! I can’t wait to get started!” He throttled up his bike. “Meet back at my place to start drawing up some plans?”

At Barry’s nod, the two shot off into the underbrush, back to Owen’s home.

**Author's Note:**

> Barry's last name, PÁSZTOR, means "herd, shepherd" in Hungarian. Thanks, Sarabi, for helping me with that!
> 
> French dialog: "Absolutely beautiful"
> 
> Comments and kudos make the heart grow fonder and the writer write faster! I'd love to hear your opinions and feedback, guys. They honestly do drive me to write more.


End file.
